Fate: Wings of Rebellion
by GuardianSoulBlade
Summary: Summary: Shirou's attempt to help a woman leads to an assault charge. Shipped off to Tokyo for a year, he seeks to clear his name. A mysterious app on his phone leads him to another reality and others who share his sense of Justice. Makoto Nijima/Shirou Emiya.
1. Prologue

**Fate: Wings of Rebellion**

 ** _Summary_** _: Shirou's attempt to help a woman leads to an assault charge. Shipped off to Tokyo for a year, he seeks to clear his name. A mysterious app on his phone leads him to another reality and others who share his sense of Justice._

 ** _Author's Note:_** _This is completely based on my let's play of Persona 5. I named my character Shirou Emiya as a glorious gag joke. All in-game dialogue choices are mine. I'm trying to roleplay in my let's play as much as possible, which means I can't button mash Morgana's head._ _LOL :(_

 _Also for the pairing, I am OBLIGATED to pair up Shirou with "Fists of Justice!" Makoto Nijima! Fate fans will be a little sad, but Persona fans will mostly squee and shout "Best Girl!"_

* * *

 ** _Prologue_**

 _Tokyo is a bustling city, with bright lights and a sprawling metropolis. People come and go at night. But there is something that shouldn't be there, a casino, but it is filled with people at the tables, betting money._

 _A helicopter flew overhead, flying past a bustling casino with bright lights and a bustling crowd of people inside, betting chips and gambling on card games and slot machines and roulette tables._

 _A man knocked over his stack of chips as he looked around, he thought he saw something above him._

 _Above that man, leaping around nearly unseen is Shirou Emiya._

 _Shirou Emiya is many things. Shujin Academy's Brownie, the top of his class, a felon, delinquent, and a Mage. But right now, he's not any of those things, he is…_

 _The Joker, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts' leader and he's going to pull off another heist._

 _Shirou Emiya dashes across the ceiling form atop lights and rafters, he moves with agility, style, and grace, happy that all his faceplants on the treadmill honed him into an athletic phantom thief._

 _He lands atop a light, holding the metal wire attaching the light to the ceiling, making himself visible to the crowd below._

 _He's dressed head to toe in black, wearing a trench coat and red gloves; the mask over his eyes conceals his identity from the onlookers below._

 _Clutching the Treasure, a suitcase, he smirks down at the security as people finally start to notice the person above them._

 _"_ _Hey, up there!" a man calls, pointing up at him._

 _"_ _He's here! Move in immediately!" the security guard orders. They begin moving towards him._

 _Shirou turns away and leaps to another light. He lands atop the lamps._

 _"_ _Good, now get running!" Mona calls to him._

 _"_ _This is our only chance," Crow added._

 _"_ _Stay calm, you can get away now!" Oracle urged the mage._

 _"_ _We'll retrieve the briefcase form our end," Queen informed him. It was time for them to leave._

 _Shirou heard a mysterious transition, "Suspects…not confirmed…hold your positions!"_

 _"_ _Huh? What was that?" Panther asked._

 _"_ _Don't worry about us, just concentrate on getting away!" Mona told him._

 _Shirou runs forward and jumps onto the other lamps, making his way up and onto one of the large neon-lit sign as he runs to the left jumps down onto the metal beams._

 _"_ _I gotta say, showing yourself to that crowd earlier was an excellent move," Mona congratulated him."Nice work as always, Joker!"_

 _"_ _I bet Skull couldn't pull it off that smoothly," Panther laughed._

 _"_ _That's because you have no sense of aesthetics," Fox replied to her, referring to Skull._

 _"_ _Nobody asked you, Inari!" Skull retorted._

 _"_ _There he is!" the agent called as they spotted him. "The intruders are here!"_

 _"_ _Joker! Get out of there!" Oracle urged him again._

 _Shirou turned his attention to the other platforms to his left and ran forward, jumping onto them as he moved quickly to avoid the men trying to apprehend him._

 _"_ _OK. The enemy's focus is on him. It looks like the rest of us can slip away," Mona noted to the others._

 _"_ _Everyone remember where we're meeting up?" Noir asked._

 _"_ _Yes, of course, but it is still my duty as a Servant to accompany my Master," Saber told them,_

 _"_ _That's not necessary, he'll be fine, Saber," Queen told her, "You just stay with us."_

 _"Master,_ _are you sure you don't need me?"_

 _"_ _I'll be fine, Saber, I promise," Shirou told her._

 _"_ _Don't worry, I can guide you all," Oracle reassured them._

 _Shirou jumped across a row of lamps and on top of a casino sign, he climbed up onto the balcony._

 _"_ _Stop right there!" the guards called to him._

 _"_ _You won't get away!"_

 _Suddenly, they transformed from normal-looking humans into hideous demons._

 _"_ _Take 'em down, Joker!" Oracle called to him as Shirou turned to face the one behind him._

 _Shirou leaped into the air and somersaulted over the guard, landing on his face as he ripped off the mask, revealing the guard's true form as a Shadow, blood, and ooze dropped down to reveal the hideous Sacrificial Pyrekeeper._

 _"_ _Comparing power levels: No threat. Get him, Joker!"_

 _Shirou gripped his knife and prepared to fight. Without any hesitation, he pulled out his gun and fired seven shots into the Shadow as it winced in pain from the gunfire as Shirou critically wounded it._

 _Quickly, he summoned his Persona and unleashed an Eigaon spell on him. "Go down!" he called out to them._

 _Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to kill the shadow._

 _"_ _Damn it! Payback time kid!" the Sacrificial Pyrokeeper snarled as it reared up and unleashed an Agilo spell on him. Shirou tried to dodge but wasn't quite successful as he endured the burn, fortunately, his wounds weren't that bad._

 _Shirou charged forward, swinging his dagger right to left, then left to right in a fancy flourish, he slew the Shadow._

 _"_ _OK. Pull out before their backup gets here!" Oracle called to him._

 _"_ _Good. You defeated them with ease!" Mona congratulated him._

 _Shirou turned and headed for the door his navigator specified._

 _"_ _More of them? Be careful!" Oracle warned him._

 _The Shadow guards rushed him, slamming their electrified batons into the ground in the spot where he had just been standing, Shirou somersaulted away gracefully, he leapt above them onto a lamp and onto another balcony._

 _The words "Victory or Defeat" flashed on a neon sign Shirou couldn't see._

 _"_ _Joker, behind you! Go through that door!" Oracle instructed him as Shirou moved to follow her instructions._

 _Shirou headed through the open doors behind him._

 _"_ _You should be able to get out that way! Hurry! Oracle called to him. Shirou began moving down the hallway._

 _"_ _Dude, can he even hear us?" Skull asked._

 _"_ _Don't worry; I'm picking up everyone's voices! Just go, Joker!" Oracle called to him._

 _Shirou made his way down the hall and through the door. He moved down the stairs._

 _"_ _Tch. We got away from a bunch of those guys in black. But there are loads more of 'em." Skull told him._

 _Shirou rounded a corner and stopped at the door. "No problems on my end," a guard said. Shirou opened the door cautiously but stopped as he spotted a man through the glass window._

 _"_ _Where'd they go, Dammit!" the guard swore, he turned around, "I can't confirm the intruder's location!" Then he ran back the other way after looking around._

 _Shirou round another corner but heard Oracle stop him._

 _"_ _Up ahead, stop!"_

 _Shirou darted behind a bin and waited for the guard to pass by._

 _"_ _This is bad, hide, Joker!" Oracle warned him._

 _Shirou ducked behind the bins he darted in a zigzag pattern until he was hiding near an agent._

 _"_ _Hey, are you sure he came in this way?" the agent asked. "Understood. I will continue the search!" The agent ran off and Shirou took the opportunity to sprint away._

 _"_ _Now's your chance! Head for the stairs!" Oracle told him, Shirou did as she said and sprinted up the stairs._

 _Shirou, or Joker, the phantom thief, stared down the hallway. The wall was plastered in papers that had various slogans on them. "victory", "Everyone's Enemy", "Success, success, success", "Winner take all," "Everything in black and white", "Victory addiction", "Double-Faced", "Losing is not an Option, and "Death Penalty" were just some of the papers posted on the walls._

 _Shirou ducked over to the other side and peered through a window._

 _The security was looking for him on the cameras._

 _"_ _He's not alone! Find them and kill them all!" the head of security shouted into the phone._

 _Shirou ran up the stairs, pursued by agents as he made his way towards where he needed to go._

 _The mage suddenly stopped, grabbing the balcony and looking down in surprise._

 _"_ _Something wrong? The exit should be just up ahead," Panther told him._

 _"_ _Through there?" Shirou asked, looking at a stained glass window._

 _"_ _Nnnh, that's just how it is!" Panther groaned. "After that commotion's the bottom floor's—"_

 _"_ _Completely closed off," Queen finished for her._

 _"_ _Hey, can you make it?" Panther asked, concerned._

 _"_ _over there! There's nowhere to run!" the agents shouted as they pointed their guns at him._

 _Shirou vaulted up onto the balcony ledge and ran around the corner, leaping to another balcony surprising them, he stopped in front of a stained glass window._

 _"_ _See ya!" he smiled, diving out the window, spinning gracefully in the air._

 _The crowd gasped in shock._

 _"_ _What a showoff!" Oracle scolded him. Shirou smiled, everything was going according to plan._

 _"_ _You're so reckless you know that!" Panther chided him too._

 _Shirou landed and rolled to his feet, the glass raining down around him. He got up._

 _And then the spotlights came on._

 _"_ _Enemies, here?!" Oracle shouted in terror._

 _"_ _What's wrong?" Crow asked in shock._

 _"_ _These readings!" Oracle replied._

 _"_ _What happened?" Skull shouted._

 _"_ _An ambush?!" Queen was terrified. This wasn't how this heist was supposed to go!_

 _"_ _Joker, can you handle this?" Mona asked._

 _"_ _Joker!" Fox joined in with their terror._

 _"_ _Oh no!" Noir chimed in._

 _"_ _Capture him!" the police shouted, charging straight at him, riot shields and batons in hand._

 _"_ _Let's go! Go, go, go!" The police charged as Shirou turned and ran._

 _He sprinted towards a ladder and jumping up, he started to climb, he would be home free in a minute._

 _He looked up, only to see a squad of police officers pointing guns at him. One hit him in the face with the butt of his gun._

 _He fell back on the ground as he was pinned down by police; they forced his hands behind his back._

 _"_ _Stop struggling!"_

 _"_ _Suspect is secure!" an officer reported to his superior._

 _"_ _Didn't expect to find some kid," he gazed down at Shirou._

 _The man knelt down to look at him._

 _"_ _You have your teammate to thank for this. You were sold out!" the head officer told him as they handcuffed him._

 _"_ _Suspect confirmed! Cuff him!"_

 _Shirou was forced to take his mugshot._

 _His prisoner number was P508954TS._

 _That was only the beginning of his nightmare._

* * *

 _"_ _Guess the drug was too strong," the interrogator said as they looked at Shirou Emiya cuffed to the chair in the interrogation room. "Wake him up!"_

 _Shirou's head felt hazy as he felt cold water hit his face. He shook his head, opened his eyes and looked up. The first thing his eyes were drawn to was the camera. Then he turned his attention to his interrogator._

 _"_ _No dozing off," the man told him._

 _Shirou struggled against the handcuffs behind his back._

 _"_ _You still don't get it do you?" the man smirked._

 _The other man kicked him in the face, "Give it up!"_

 _Shirou's chair fell over and he felt the heavy press of a boot on his face._

 _"_ _Come on, cooperate. Or what? You want another shot?" the interrogator asked._

 _Shirou looked directly at the camera, hoping someone would see the police brutality and stop them._

 _"_ _Huh? What about the camera?" The interrogator asked. "Are you thinking it can be used as visual evidence?"_

 _He grabbed Shirou by his hair and forced the mage to look at him._

 _"_ _Of course not…" he replied._

 _"_ _So you're not that dumb," the man smirked. "Which is good, 'cause we get to take all the time we" he slammed his head into the concrete floor, smashing his foot into Shirou's gut, causing the young man to groan in pain and cough. "NEED!"_

 _Shirou was left wheezing on the floor as the agent walked away from him._

 _"_ _Obstruction of justice, blackmail, defamation, possession of weapons…manslaughter too, yeah? Talk about the works."_

 _He glanced at the clipboard and turned back to him, "To think that all those crimes were led by a punk like this…"_

 _"…_ _and you seem to be enjoying every second of it," he concluded._

I was…enjoying it… _Shirou tried to remember._ Everything's hazy…I can't remember. _He had to remember something important._

 _"…_ _You should know your place," the man told him as he nodded to the man next to him who came and removed Shirou's handcuffs._

 _They pulled him up and sat him on the floor._

 _Shirou examined his bloody wrists, rubbing the raw skin. It hurt a lot, but that was the least of his worries now._

 _The man handed him a clipboard, "Sign here. It's a confession under your name."_ _Shirou didn't say a word, he pushed the clipboard away from him defiantly glaring at the man._

 _"_ _I See. I need your hand to sign this, but…"_

 _He slammed his foot onto Shirou's leg as he screamed; he began to put his weight on his leg._

 _"_ _I don't care if you end up losing a leg!"_

 _He stopped and handed Shirou the clipboard and a pen._

 _He leaned into Shirou's face, "Don't expect to walk out of here in one piece. We are going to MAKE you understand…one must take full responsibility for their actions."_

 _Shirou signed the confession and awaited his fate…_

* * *

 _A beautiful young woman in a business suit carrying a bag walked down the halls of the interrogation room. She headed towards her destination when a pair of men stopped her._

 _"_ _Excuse me, this place is off—" the police detective began to stop her._

 _"_ _I'm Nijima from the Public Prosecutors office," she replied._

 _"_ _The prosecutor's office? What business do you have here?" the detective sneered at her._

 _"_ _Just let me through; it's urgent. There's something I need to confirm with the suspect."_

 _"_ _Nijima-san. I believe this case is no longer in your jurisdiction," the detective told her. "Besides…"_

 _"_ _Are you Prosecutor Sae Nijima?" another man, an older detective asked her. She turned to look at him. "There's a call from your director. Hurry and get it over with. To be frank, you're being an inconvenience."_

 _Sae Nijima heard her phone vibrating and answered it._

 _The SIU director spoke to her. He sighed, "I thought I told you to stand by."_

 _"_ _I'm responsible for this case, and yet I'm not even being allowed an interrogation!?"_

 _The SIU Director replied, "I'm calling because I knew you'd bring it up."_

 _"_ _I will not be convinced unless I confirm it for myself," Sae snapped at him. "This is MY case."_

 _The SIU Director sighed, "Good luck to you, then. I won't be expecting much though."_

 _"_ _Ah, Prosecutor, I forgot to mention something important. Your time will be cut short. I can't permit you to speak with him for long."_

 _Sae Nijima sighed in frustration._

 _"_ _It's for your own sake. His methods are unknown. After all, we don't even know if it's safe to simply meet and speak with him."_

 _"…_ _.I understand," Sae replied, she headed into the interrogation room._

 _She was surprised to see Shirou; shoulders slumped, hanging his head._

 _"_ _I didn't expect it'd be you," she told him._

 _She knew him, he was the young teen who often served her coffee and curry at Café Leblanc._

 _"_ _You'll be answering my questions this time," she told him._

 _She turned and saw the empty syringe that they had used to drug him._

 _"_ _Those bastards…" she growled._

 _"_ _Can you hear me? It seems you've been through a lot," she told him._

Understatement of the year, Nijima-san, _Shirou thought,_ what was your first clue? My face?

 _"_ _Almost anything can happen here, and I can't stop them," she told him simply._

Astute observations, Prosecutor, _Shirou kept his thoughts to himself, he wasn't being completely sarcastic, what she said was true._

 _"_ _That's why I need you to answer me honestly. I don't have much time either."_

 _She began to question him. "What was your objective, Shirou? Why did you cause such a major incident? I didn't think it was a prank from the get-go, but I couldn't assemble a case for prosecution."_

 _"_ _It's because I couldn't figure out the method behind it."_

 _"_ _Of course you couldn't…" Shirou told her wearily. She couldn't believe it, let alone the existence of magecraft._

 _"_ _True," she replied, gesturing to him. "There's no way I could be convinced of such a "world" just by reading the reports."_

 _She looked at him, "it seems you're coherent. When and where did you find out about that world? How is it even possible to steal another's heart?"_

 _"_ _Now, tell me your account of everything. Start from the very beginning," Sae Nijima ordered him._

 _Shirou concentrated, fighting through the drug-induced haze as he began to tell her his story…_

 _Shirou concentrated, trying to remember something. Suddenly, he looked up and saw a blue butterfly flying near him._

 _A mysterious voice said to him, "You are held captive. A prisoner of Fate to a future that has been sealed in advance. This is truly an unjust game…Your chances of winning are almost none. But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you…"_

 _The voice continued, "I beg you, please overcome this game…and save the world…"_

 _"_ _The key to victory lies within the memories of your bonds—the truth that you and your friends grasped. It all began that day…when the game was started half a year ago…"_

 _"_ _For the sake of your world's future...as well as your own...you must remember…"_

 _Shirou watched the blue butterfly flutter and vanish into the air._

 _And he remembered everything…_


	2. The Velvet Room

**The Velvet Room**

 ** _Author's Note:_** _Just been really busy writing reviews and hadn't gotten around to writing another chapter. The anime is now airing so I'm inspired to write more! Crank up "Break in to Break Out" if you want, listen to on YouTube. If you haven't played the game you can watch the anime, but they compressed a lot, I compressed some of the chapter because there is so much dialogue. Still, playing the game is the best, but if you're not familiar with Persona 5 you can watch the anime._

* * *

 _Somewhere deep underground:_

 _"_ _Soon, I will be reborn! It thought as it waited and waited. Seven Servants will fight to the death, and then I will be reborn."_

 _"_ _Will you now? You don't even understand humanity's desires so how can you grant their wish?" Another voice asked._

 _"_ _And who are you that you would know what humans truly desire?"_

 _"_ _I am a being far more powerful than you, Agra Manyu. Shall we work together to bring salvation to humanity?"_

 _"_ _Just what_ are _you?" Agra Manyu asked the voice._

 _"_ _I am the Holy Grail," it replied._

 _"_ _But if you are indeed the Holy Grail, what did the mages summon long ago?"_

 _"_ _There are many Holy Grails, but I am the_ True _Holy Grail," it replied. "Become one with me, and you will have all your wishes granted."_

 _"_ _Very well, but what of the Holy Grail War? Agra Manyu asked._

 _"_ _It will still occur, but I want to make the game more interesting, I have a more entertaining plan in mind than a mere battle between Masters and Servants."_

 _"_ _What kind of plan is it?" The Servant asked._

 _"_ _We will make use of a young man named Shirou Emiya."_

 _"_ _Emiya, as in Kiritsugu Emiya?"_

 _"_ _His son, yes, the son of that Emiya," it replied._

 _"_ _I loved Kiritsugu Emiya, he would have granted my wish. But he rejected me, would this Shirou Emiya grant my wish?"_

 _"_ _I will make happen, but what good is destroying all of humanity when you can rule over the indolent masses instead?"_

 _"_ _I'll take you up on that offer, but what of the opposition?" Agra Manyu asked._

 _"_ _The opposition won't be a problem. Do we have a deal? You are merely the Greater Grail, and_ I _am the_ true _granter of humanity's wishes."_

 _"_ _Yes, let a newer, better Fifth Holy Grail War commence, but how will you procure Shirou Emiya as a participant in the war?"_

 _"_ _Just sit back and watch. I have my ways," the true Holy Grail told him._

* * *

 _"_ _He's alive! Thank God! He's alive!"_ Kiritsugu exclaimed. _"Thank you, thank you!" the mage wept. "I'm so glad I found you! I'm so glad I found someone! I have been saved!"_

Shirou opened his eyes slowly, glancing out the subway train's window as he prepared to arrive in Yongen Jaiya, his new home for the next year.

Shirou Emiya jolted out of his dream and glanced over at the people with him on the train.

"Thank you for riding with us today. We will be arriving in Shibuya shortly," the announcer said over the PA. "This is the last stop for this line. Please transfer here for all subway lines. The doors to your left will open."

Shirou's mind went back to that day.

He remembered the woman he tried to rescue.

 _Shirou remembered seeing a drunk man grabbing a woman by her wrist and pulling her towards him._

 _He remembered hearing her shout, "Help me!"_

 _So Shirou did what he should do as a hero of justice, he helped the woman. He grabbed the man and spun him around. He was drunk and offbalance so he fell over and injured his forehead._

 _"_ _Damn brat, I'll sue!" he shouted._

 _Shirou remembered being arrested and put into the police car._

Shirou pulled himself out of his reverie. He glanced up and heard a pair of girls talking on the subway.

"What? Are you for real? A mental shutdown?" the girl asked her friend.

"It's the truth!" the girl with the ponytail replied.

"To a person though? That's gotta be a joke," the girl with the long brown hair, carrying a schoolbag scoffed. "You really love all that occult stuff don't you?"

The students laughed as the subway train passed through the tunnel.

"Isn't Akecchi awesome?" the first girl asked her friend.

"A famous detective, and still in high school! It's like he's living in another world!"

Shirou heard the announcer's voice on the YouTube video.

"Goro Akecchi solves another case, following Noato Shirogane, being billed as the "Second Coming of the Detective Prince," and—"

Shirou noticed the two girls were staring at him and it made him feel uncomfortable.

Shirou stepped off the train platform to search for the way to Yongen Jaiya. Looking up, he saw a big billboard of the popular idol Risette and her newest project "Sapphire". He'd never listened to her music much, but he knew that Sakura Matou really enjoyed her music.

Shirou stepped out onto the busy streets of Tokyo as he saw a strange app appear on his phone. He saw the big "Start" button in English and as it enlarged itself on his screen, he tapped the button trying to force it to close.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, the world slowed down to a crawl, which didn't seem possible. Was he inside a bounded field?

He glanced up at the frozen people, Shirou continued looking around, spotting a blue flame that ignited unexpectedly.

There was a shape inside that blue flame, great fiery wings flared out at him, and Shirou caught a glimpse of it for an instant, it seemed to be his own face!

Then it was over, the world went back to normal.

 _What was that?_ Shirou thought to himself, but he had other important things to do, like get to his new home.

He then spent the next frustrating 10 minutes of his life looking for the Ginza line. He wondered around the suburb, passing by a lady dressed like a punk rocker as he tried to find where Sojiro Sakura lived.

Upon finding the house, he learned that Sojiro was not home, but working at his café Leblanc, so Shirou headed over there.

Shirou stepped through the door of the nondescript café, finding an elderly couple and an older man inside.

He heard the newscaster's voice on the television. "A public transit bus was driven down the wrong lane with its customers still in it! The citizens can't live in peace if this keeps up!"

"That was frightening," the elderly man commented.

"What could be going on? Didn't something similar happen the other day?" his elderly wife asked.

"Vertical is…the name of a shellfish used for farming pearls…" Sojiro Sakura said to himself.

Sojiro noticed Shirou. "…Oh right. They did say that was today."

The elderly man got up from the table, "We'll be going. The payment's on the table."

They got up and left.

"Thanks for coming," Sojiro told them.

"This place is at the back alley, so no worries of a car crashing in here."

"A what now?" Sojiro asked.

"There's been a string of those rampage accidents, you know. I just hope none happen around here."

"It's none of my concern," Sojiro replied flippantly.

The old man chuckled, "Well, see you next time."

The door shut behind them.

Sojirou sighed in irritation. "Four hours for just a single cup of joe."

He glanced at Shirou, "So, you're Shirou."

"Is Sakura-san here?" Shirou asked, he didn't want to miss Sojiro Sakura by mistake.

"Yeah…I'm Sojiro Sakura. You'll be in my custody over the next year. I was wondering what kind of unruly kid would show up here, but you're the one, huh?"

"Have you been told? A customer of mine and your guardian know each other and—"

Sojiro stopped himself, "Well, not that that matters. Follow me."

Shirou followed Sojirou up a flight of stairs. Shirou saw the upstairs attic. It reminded him of the storage shed at his own house.

This attic was…Shirou didn't really know what to say, but he'd seen nicer doghouses!

The attic was full of old books, bags full of things he couldn't make out and there was a ladder in the corner of the room. There were layers of dust on the desks and floor.

There was a pile of gasoline canisters over on one side of the room.

"This is your room," Sojiro told him.

"I'll at least give you sheets for your bed," his new "caretaker," told him.

"You look like you wanna say something," the older man glanced at him.

"It's big," Shirou commented. He didn't want to say anything that might anger the stranger who clearly didn't want him there.

"It's on you to clean up the rest," Sakura-san told him.

"I'll be leaving after I lock up each day," he explained to Shirou. "You'll be alone at night, but don't do anything stupid. I'll throw you out if you cause any trouble."

"Now then…I got the gist of your situation. You protected some woman from a man forcing himself on her; he got injured then sued you. Right? Can't judge a book by its cover."

"You got the wrong idea, I just…" Shirou tried to defend himself from the man's predetermined judgment of him.

"I don't want to hear it!" the café owner snapped at him. "That's what you get for interfering in a matter between two adults. You did injure him, yeah?"

Shirou knew there was no winning this argument. Sojiro Sakura already had decided he was just some punk kid with a criminal record.

"…And now that you have a criminal record, you were expelled from Homurahara High School. The courts ordered you to transfer and move out here, which your guardian Taiga Fujimura also approved."

"In other words, she got rid of you for being a pain in the ass," Sojiro concluded.

"It's not like that at all, but you have no intention of listening to me," Shirou sighed.

Taiga hadn't wanted him to leave, but the entire staff of Homurahara wanted Shirou gone after the incident because it would reflect badly on the prestigious high school.

"It's best you not talk about anything unnecessary. I am in the restaurant business, you know. Behave yourself for this year, and your probation will be lifted."

"…A whole year," Shirou sighed.

"Cause any trouble and you'll be sent straight to juvie," Sojiro warned him.

"We'll be going to Shujin tomorrow," he informed Shirou.

"Shujin?" Shirou asked.

"Shujin Academy. The school you'll be attending," the barista said in irritation. "We'll introduce ourselves properly to the staff there."

"There's rarely a place that'll accept someone like you, you know. What a waste of my Sunday…" Sojiiro grumbled in resentment.

"Your "luggage" arrived earlier; I left them over there."

Shirou sighed, glancing around the room that would be his.

 _I'll be living here, starting today,_ he thought. _I should check out what's in here._

Shirou examined the junk-littered floor. _Some parts of these shelves have rust on them. All these difficult-looking books were carelessly crammed into it._

Shirou examined his "luggage".

 _It's a cardboard box Taiga sent me from home. It's full of clothes and necessities. I should change into more comfortable clothes for now._

Shirou slipped into some comfortable blue jeans and a black suit coat. He examined the desk full of books; _it's a desk with a stack of books on top. No one can use this as a desk while it's like this…_

Shirou began cleaning the room. He would make this place a comfortable for him.

Shirou found a duster and cleaned off the top of the attic windows. Then he mopped the dirty floor. Shirou them put his luggage box on the bottom shelf out of the way.

Then he dusted his bed sheets and felt like he'd done enough for today.

 _It's late…it seems like I've been cleaning for awhile,_ Shirou thought to himself. He saw Sojiro Sakura enter the attic.

"Seriously? What the heck? I heard you making all sorts of noise up here but I didn't think you were cleaning." Sojiro glanced around. He actually seemed impressed. "Actually, this place doesn't look too bad. Though it's only natural you'd want to keep your room tidy. Why don't you go to bed early tonight? You don't have anything better to be doing right?"

"I'll go to bed in a little while sir," Shirou said as he went downstairs. He found the crossword puzzle Sojiro had been working on and took it up to his room.

Shirou changed into his pajamas and got into bed.

He examined the crossword puzzle, "Oyster? Is it?" he asked himself.

He put down his Sony Xperia XZ1 and recalled the night his life changed…

 _Arrest…trial…criminal record…_

Shirou could hear that drunk man again, _"Damn brat, I'll sue!"_

 _Still, I couldn't just let that go…That day…I had to go home early…_

 _Shirou had been walking home after working at the Copenhagen when he heard two voices shouting._

 _"_ _Just get in the car!" the man shouted at the woman. Shirou ran towards the sound. She might be in danger!_

 _"_ _Stop it!" she screamed in fear._

 _He heard them arguing and he tried to make his way towards them._

 _"_ _Stop it! Let me go!" the woman screamed again._

 _The man was very forceful with her, this wasn't good at all!_

 _"_ _No…!" she protested._

 _"_ _Don't give me that shit!" the drunk man snarled at her._

 _Shirou knew he had to save her._

 _"_ _O-ow! Please stop!" she protested again._

 _Shirou knew that if he didn't stop the man, this man was going to rape this woman. This woman was in danger!_

I have to save her! _Shirou thought._

 _Shirou walked over. The man looked back at him._

 _"_ _Tch…what a waste of time. You think your worth causing me trouble? Huh?"_

 _"_ _I-I'll call the police!" the woman warned the man._

 _"_ _Heh. Call them if you want. The police are my bitches. They're not gonna take you seriously," the man taunted her._

What kind of clout does this guy have?! _Shirou thought. People don't just say things like that!_

 _"_ _No..Stop!" she screamed for help._

 _"_ _Someone called the cops, huh?" he looked back. "Get in the car! Incompetent fools like you just need to shut their mouths and follow where I steer this country!"_

 _The sirens began blaring. The man finally took notice of Shirou._

 _"…_ _What are you looking at? Get outta my face! This ain't a show. Get lost kid."_

 _The man was angry. "See? This is because you're so damn slow! Get in the car!"_

 _That was when Shirou spun him around and he fell on his face._

Shirou sighed. There was nothing he could do to change it now, if he could do it all over again, he would still help that woman.

Shirou heard his phone ring; he pulled it out of his pocket and saw that strange red icon on his phone.

 _Hm. It's that weird app that somehow ended up on my phone. That icon looks almost like an eye…It's so creepy…_

Shirou deleted it, he didn't remember downloading it. He drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Shirou moved his legs and glanced down to see that there was a ball and chain around his left leg. He saw his shackled writs and he was confused; since when was he in a prison?!

Shirou glanced up as he heard a chuckle.

He saw two young girls approach his cell and stare at him. Shirou stepped forward hesitantly as he peered at a figure behind the twin girls.

The balding old man with white hair steepled his hands as he gazed at Shirou. He gestured to the Mage.

 _"_ _Trickster, welcome to my Velvet Room,_ " the old man greeted him.

Shirou found he couldn't use any of his magecraft, so he did the only thing he could do and shook the bars.

"So you've come to, Inmate!" Caroline smirked.

"The you in reality is fast asleep," Justine explained. "You are only experiencing this as a dream."

"You're in the presence of our Master! Stand up straight!" Caroline barked at him.

"Welcome! I am delighted to make your acquaintance," the old man greeted him.

The voice was deep, but Shirou didn't sense any warmth in it. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those bound by a "contract" may enter. I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well."

Igor tapped his fingers on the desk. "I summoned you to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well."

"Important matters?" Shirou asked, holding onto the bars. He wanted out of this cell and certainly out of this dream!

"Still, this is a surprise; the state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think that a prison would appear as such."

Shirou scoffed at the notion that his heart was a prison.

"You truly are a "prisoner" of fate," Igor told him.

Shirou was as confused as ever. What was all this talk about fate?

"In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you," Igor told him in a dire tone.

"Ruin?" Shirou asked, confused.

"I speak to the end of everything," Igor told him. "However, there is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be "rehabilitated". Rehabilitated towards freedom…That is your only means to avoid ruin…"

"…Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?" Igor asked him.

Shirou thought long and hard about it, he didn't understand everything, but he'd rather avoid ruin.

"I'd rather avoid ruin," Shirou answered the cryptic old man.

"Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation," Igor told him.

The twins turned to face Shirou.

"Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others. To your right is Caroline, to your left Justine. They serve as wardens here."

The mage glanced to his right.

"Humph!" Caroline smirked. "Try and struggle as hard as you like. Shirou noticed the letters XMRN on her hat.

"The duty of wardens is to protect inmates," Justine told him. "We are also your collaborators. Shirou glanced to the left and saw the letters OYOO on her hat. "…That is, if you remain obedient."

"I shall explain the role of these two at another occasion," Igor told Shirou.

"Now then, the night is waning…it is almost time," the old man looked at the Mage. "Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually."

The alarm blared loudly. "Time's up. Now hurry up and go back to sleep." Caroline ordered him.

* * *

Shirou awoke the next day immensely confused by the strange dream he'd had. Sojiro told him they were heading over to Shujin Academy.

They drove to the school and headed to Principal Kobayakawa's office.

Shirou stood before the Principal. The bald man who reminded him of the American comic book character Wilson Fisk spoke to him.

"To reiterate, just so we're clear, you will be immediately expelled if you cause any problems. Honestly, I hesitated accepting someone like you, but there were some circumstances on our side…"

"You might have done a variety of things hiding in Fuyuki, but you will behave yourself here. If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind."

"This is the teacher in charge of your class."

"I'm Sadayo Kawakami," she introduced herself. "Here's your student ID."

She warned him to read the school rules and any violations would send him to the guidance councilors office.

Shirou heard the teacher complaining about him being in her class, but he noticed she had dropped a flyer on the ground; it was a maid advertisement "Housekeeping Services Victoria" with a cute girl named "Becky" on it. She picked it up in a hurry.

"When you come tomorrow please report to the faculty room first. I'll take you to class from there," Kawakami instructed Shirou.

"Yes Ma'am," Shirou replied.

Sojiro warned him that if he was expelled he would be kicked out.

Shirou sighed, this day was just awful.

Later that day, the volleyball coach approached Kawakami.

"What a troublesome situation," the teacher told her.

Kawakami sighed, staring at him. "I can't believe they pushed someone with a record on me. A male teacher would be better suited for this…"

"Why in the world was someone like that admitted here?" he asked.

"Who knows? It was the principal's decision," Kawakami sighed. "I was told it was for the school's reputation."

"I would have thought my volleyball team has contributed more than enough to cover that," he replied. The volleyball coach rolled his arms and stretched them.

"That's certainly true," she agreed with him.

"Be careful, okay?" he warned her. "Then again, if anything were to happen, I'd kick out a student like that right away."

"I keep wishing that'd he'd end up not coming to school," she complained. "Still, that isn't something I should be saying as a teacher…"

"Well, I should be returning to practice," the volleyball coach told her.

"Oh right, the tournament's coming up, isn't it?" Kawakami said to him.

The coach laughed, "Having such high expectations placed on you by others is quite a problem in itself. We'll have to work hard to make up for the track team too."

"Yes, that's true," she sighed.

The volleyball coach left, Kawakami sighed. "Why'd it have to be my class?"

* * *

Sojiro complained about the traffic and told Shirou he would be taking the train tomorrow.

"So how was it? The school, do you think you can manage?" he asked.

"It'll be fun," Shirou replied. He was reminded of Homurahara High School; hopefully, he would be fine at his new school.

"Do you even understand your situation?" Sojiro asked him like he was stupid.

"You were expelled once. To think you'd re-enroll at a different one," he sighed.

"It's not like anyone would be sympathetic with you."

Sojirou complained about how Shirou would affect his reputation too. "What a troublesome kid I've taken in."

"Why did you take me in?" Shirou inquired.

"I was asked to do it, and I just…happened to agree to it."

Sojiro gestured, "I've already been paid for it too, after all."

There was another announcement that the Shibuya subway had derailed."

"Another accident?" Sojioro asked. "So that's why it's been so crowded. There's been a lot of those lately."

* * *

"The inbound train will soon be arriving at platform number one. Please wait behind the yellow line," the announcer's voice said as the subway sped passé the platform.

People screamed in terror on the platform and the passengers inside the train panicked.

"Hey what's going on?" the passenger screamed in panic as he pounded on the door.

The conductor didn't hear him as he pushed the speed to its max. His eyes were rolled into the back of his head; blood was dripping out of his mouth as he accelerated the subway train. It flew by the platform as people moved to get out of the way. The train tilted and derailed.

"We're experiencing difficulties in the lower line," the announcer told the people.

"I don't have a visual yet. Oh f-" the man on the platform screamed as he moved along with several others to get away as the train crashed into the platform.

"That was direct footage from the accident," the reporter spoke on the television. "According to the police, the engineer's life was not in danger despite his injuries. After questioning, even he could not explain his high speed when approaching the station. No father comments were made. Police are still looking for a plausible motive."

There was an interview with a man who was on the train, but that wasn't important to the director of the SIU or Sae Nijima as they watched the news broadcast.

"It's less of an accident and more of a crime of the company and the government." The SIU director spoke to the prosecutor. "Site inspectors apparently reported all of this six months ago—the deterioration of the tracks and the ATC."

"Seems the railway and the Ministry of Transport both turned a blind eye to the truth. There's no way they can hide. This will go all the way to the top."

"Now onto our main story," the newscaster said as she continued. "With this derailment accident, as well as other recent incidents of unknown motive, concern is spreading among the general public. Just what could be causing such a drastic change so suddenly in these people?"

"Everything's linked. That's what you're thinking, correct?" the director asked Sae.

He sighed, "Ah well, are you free? You and I haven't gone for a drink in awhile."

"Thank you sir, but I have another meeting to attend," Sae turned, politely declining. She bowed, "I must be going."

She turned and left. Sae Nijima made her way down the long staircase and saw the teenage detective Goro Akecchi waiting for her. He was a handsome teenager. She heard people said he looked like the manga character Light Yagami from Death Note. She wasn't interested in those sorts of things, although some of her coworkers would smirk about it when he wasn't there.

"Did you ask for me? Is it a case?" Goro asked politely.

"Not quite. I want your opinion on something," Sae told him as the continued walking down the stairs.

"Sure. Your judgment is quite often correct, though," he turned to her.

He walked up behind her, "Can we discuss this over sushi, perhaps? You are making a student work late, after all."

"Conveyer belt only," Sae Nijima replied.

"Aww!" Goro Akecchi sighed. He wasn't going to eat any good sushi tonight. Oh well.


End file.
